Straightening and clamping mecha



' Aug. 13, 1940.

J. c. DONNELLY, 2,210,887 STRAIGHTENING AND CLAMPING MECHANISM FOR BOOKING MACHINES Filed Oct. 7, 1939 FC (T 1. 1:5 2.5

2 Sheets-Sheet l aase h apomiezgy' Aug. 13, 1940- .J. c. DONNELLY STRAIGHTENING AND CLAMPING MECHANISM FOR BOOKING MACHINES Filed Oct. '7, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. 13, 1940 "PATENT- oFFicE STRAIGHTENING. AND CLAMPING' MECHA- NISM FOR BOOKING MACHINES Joseph C. Donnelly, Barberton,

The Diamond Match Company, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Ohio, assignor to New York,

7 Application October 7, 1939, Serial ,No.:2 98,355

5 Claims.

are imposed in succeeding order, the face of each book embodying a foldablecover flap and an end retaining fold therefor, and also a tucker member which overhangs the bed or shelf and moves in contactwith and from the flapof each book in a manner to tuck the free end. ofthe flap under the retaining fold. r I The object of my invention is to provide simple and efiicient book straightening and clamping means arranged incooperative relation to the bed and the tucker member, as will be hereinafter described, the scope of the invention being :expressed in the appended. claims. n Y I In the drawings 1 Figure lis an elevation of a portion of thedelivery end of a..-match booking machine' equipped with mechanismembodying my invention, the tucker being in raised position. i

Fig. 2. is a transverse section through the intermittently rotatable flap-foldingwheel andthe tucking mechanism of; the machine, the match books being represented at succeeding flap. fold-'- ing and tucking stages, thetucker members being in down position upon the completion of the flap tucking: operation and the, vibratory bookstraightening and clamping members being en-' 7 gagedwith the cover back. I

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the booksupporting bed and the vibratory straightening and-clampingmembers, as on the line 3-3 of Figz'.

Fig. 4 is a rear elevation of the bed and adjuncts including the vibratory straightening and clamping members and the actuating cams therefor, said member being in retractedor unclamping position and the tucker members being raised preparatory to the discharge of the finished books. I

Fig; 5'is a vertical section through a pair of vibratory spring pressed members for acting upon the adjacent inner edgesof two adjoining books. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the vibratory members.

Fig. '7 is a similar view of an oscillatory frame and the. cam heads thereon for periodically actuating the vibratory straightening and clamping members. A i j. ,1 I

Referring tothe anne ed drawings, l0 designates a portion of the main frame at the delivery end of a match booking machine of the type hereinbefore referred to, and H designates the main'cam shaft extending longitudinally of the machine. I2 designates one of the links of an in? termittently movable chain of book holders from l which books withoutwardly-extending closure 1 flaps are ejected in succeeding pairs by means of a plungerlii'oarried by a. horizontally reciproeating slide 14, which chain and slide are operated in timed relation through suitable connections with cams on the shaft .l I, as usual.

IS'desig'nat'es an intermittently rotatable wheel which is mounted onjthe jmain frame adjacent the path of the book holders, and whichwheel has inand around its periphery equally-spaced pairsofpockets l6 int'oeach succeeding pair of which, in a dwell of the wheel, the ejected books areinserted by theplunger l3 with the closure flaps of the booksextending outwardly fromthe wheel. 'The wheel is actuatedin the usual manner. Q'verlying the upper semi-circular path of the. wheel arespaced flap-bending members I1 which'terrninate in rearward' resilient extensions l8 .overhangin'g an adjacent channeled bed-l9 supported by the" main frame. The, cOVer flaps of eachlsucceeding pair of books in their inter- 3 pockts of the wheel and upon the bed l9v during the succeeding rearward stroke of the slide I4 by means of vpushers 20 on an overhanging structure 2] carried by the-slide. The extensions 18 in the passage'of thebooks thereunderjyieldingly press down the folded flaps. The books, in similar end-. wise and face arrangement, are discharged in pairs. from the wheel IS, with the larger or headed .endsQof vthe matches leading. and the folded flapsof v.thecovers upward.

.Overhanging the wheel I 5 is ,a four-motion tuckerfarm'fl having a downwardly extending bifurcatedv portion 23 carrying spaced friction blocks 24 in proximity to the flaps of the respective (match books whichare seated in the chan- Mechanism such as: shown in Patent No.

the tucker arm includes a lifter bar 30 having at its upper end a roll 3| upon which asuitably.

disposed insert 32 in the arm is normally held by means of a spring connection 33- betweenthe arm 22 and the lifter bar. This bar has a bifurcated foot 34 that straddles a shaft 35 having its bearings in a suitably-disposed;bracket- 36 on the;

base of the main frame. The shaft 35 is driven from the main shaft H by suitable gearing, as

31. The foot of the bar 30 is equippedwith alate eral roll 38 which is actuated by a facecam 39 fast on the shaft 35, the contourof the cam race being such as to effect the. requisite; vertical mo; tion of the lifter bar and the tucker arms.

According to my invention simple and efficient means is provided to. centralize. the respective books on the bed withresp eot to .thetucker members 24 immediately prefceding'the eifectiveaction of such members on the cover flaps of the books, and then also clamp the books to prevent their displacement during the tuckingaction, This, means as herein shown-comprises-"two:rpairs of. complementary members which, are movable transversely of and-in clamping and unclamping relation to the longitudinal edges of thebacks of the covers of the books imposed uponthe b ed.

In the present instance theclamp ng members for each bookare constituted by the 'pperf'arrns 40 of a pair of spaced leversof substantial width which are pivoted, asat 4| on the bed, which bed has therein openings 42 through and belowwhich the levers extend. ,Thetops ofthe upper arms project slightly above the bed .and are-provided with inwardlydirected toes 43 whiohrby actuation of the levers are moved toward andjfromthe opposing edges of the back 'of the coverimposed on the bed and betweenthe levers In their inward motion thelevers simultaneously bear against the respective opposing edgesofthe coverbackin-a: manner to positionthe book centrally of the over.- lying tucker member 24,.a'nd at'the limit of. the in- Ward motion theoverhanging toes 43 .bearjupon' the margins of the cover and clamp i t firmlyfu'pon the bed. The book is thus held against displacement during the effective action o'f the tucker member on the cover flap. See Fig.3.) p

The inner levers of the respective .pairs are mounted on a common pivot 41 and are resiliently urged to their inward or clamping relation to the respective covers bythe. action of 1 a suitable spring, such as a torsion spring which encircles the pivot and has its .legs be'aring' j agains t' the upper armsof the respective levers. Each of the outer levers'has a supportingpivot. and, is similarly urged to clamping positionb'y ajspring 45. The two pairs of levers are simultaneously. swung to unclamping positions against" 'the action of the springs 44 and 45 by means ofrreciprocatin g, beve eled cam heads 46 and 41 which are arranged in spaced relation to co-act withthe lower arms48 of the respective levers in timedrelation .to the tucker members 24. The central cam head 46 coacts with the lower arms of the, twoinnerlevers, and a cam head 4! co-acts withthedower arm-of each of the outer levers. The cam heads are supported by a vibratory skeleton frame 49 which is pivotally supported, as at 50, beneath the bed by and between lugs 5| depending from the bed I9, and is also pivotally connected by a depending link 52 to an arm 53 which is fixed to the lifter bar.

When the lifter bar 30 andthe tucker members 24 .are elevated bythe agency of the cam 39 the cam heads 46 and 41 are brought in contact with the opposing lower arms of the respective levers,

thus swinging the upper arms of the levers from the cover receiving channels of the bed [9 preparatory to the entry of a pair of open match books in the channels. Then upon the entry of the books in the channels the lifter bar and tucker members are lowered. In their initial descent the cam heads escape the lower arms of the levers, thus permitting the latter to resume their normal innerpositions so as to contact with and clamp the opposing edges of the backs of the book covers, (as. in Fig.3), whereupon the tucker members are brought in effective contact with the coverflaps. Upon the completion of-the tucking operation the lifter bar and tucker members are raised to effect the unclamping of the books, (as in Fig.4) and the finished books are then ejected preparatory to arepetition of the clamping and tucking oper ations on a succeeding pair of books supported on the bed.

'Iclaim: 7 1. The combination with a support for amatch book having an open cover flap and a retaining: portion for the free end of the flap, and afiap tucking element having horizontal and vertical components of motion, of a book clamping means including a member mounted on said support for movement in a direction transversely of the book and against a longitudinal edge of the cover, and: means for actuating said clamping member in timed relation to the said tucking element 2'. The combination with a support for amatch book having an open cover flap and a retaining portion for the free end of the flap' and a flap tucking element having horizontal and vertical components of motion, of a vibratory member mountedfor movement transversely of the book and having a clamping portionmovabl'e in anarc overhanging the opposing longitudinal edge'of the" cover back upon the support, and means for actuating said vibratory member in timed relation to said tucking elementf I 3,' Thecombination with a support for a match book having an open cover flap and a retaining portion for the free end of the flap, and'afiap tucking element having horizontal and velrtical' components of motiongof a pair of spaced levers mounted on the support to swing to' and fromthe respective sides of the book and havingat their upper ends toe portions for clampingthe'respective longitudinal edges of the cover back} and means for actuating said levers in timed relation to said tucking element. 1'

4-. The combination witha support for a match book having an open cover flap and a retaining portion for the free-end of the flap, and means for' tucking the flap in said retaining portion, said means including a flap tucking member and a re ciprocating lifter bar, of a pair of vibratory members mounted to swing to and from the respective sides of the book, said vibratory members having angular toe portions to embrace the opposing longitudinal edges of the cover back and clamp it upon the support when the'vibratory membersare swung inward, andmeans under the influence of 7' the said lifter bar for periodically actuating said vibratory members in timed relation to the said tucking members. i

5. The combination with a support for a match book having an open cover flap, of meansfor clamping the back of the cover upon the support, said means including a pair of spaced complementary levers mounted on the support and having at their upper ends angular toe portions to embrace the opposing longitudinal edges of the cover back and clamp it upon the support when the levers are swung toward each other, spring means for maintaining said levers normally in clamping position, and means for periodically retracting said levers against the action of the spring means.

JOSEPH C. DONNELLY, 

